Imran Sheikh's narration captures the interiority of 13-year-old Mohammad (Mo) Mirza, who works hard to stay cheerful despite his father's rages. Sheikh delivers the humor, intelligence, gift for storytelling, and sarcasm that buoy Mo as he deals with his father's paranoid schizophrenia; the absence of his mother, who has chosen to work in a distant refugee camp; and being thrown into a new life in Texas with an aunt and cousin he hardly knows. Sheikh believably renders the support of his aunt, a devout Muslim, and the engaging awkwardness of his cousin, Rayyan. Finally, Sheikh shows Mo's psychological fragility in the face of bullying at school and his father's episodes at home. This compelling listen is filled with heart and humor.
(Fiction. 10-13)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063115880
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Live Oak Media recently caught our attention with this new read-along book and cassette program. We listened first, and were so delighted we couldn't wait to get the book. The picture book made the experience even better, but the audio recordings was strong and vibrant by itself. THE GARDENER, Sarah Stewart's Depression-era story of a young girl sent to live with her Uncle Jim in the city has a sweet, wistful quality with narration alone, but coupled with David Small's soft-edged pencil illustration, it's a total delight. The reading is repeated on both sides of the tape, one with and without page-turning signals.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: N/A
Publisher: Live Oak Media
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Powerful listening.
Four narrators personalize the tragedy of Houston’s 2017 Hurricane Harvey through the viewpoints of three struggling teens. Sunil Malhotra depicts Pakistani American Yasir’s many facets—his determination to succeed at soccer, his barely controlled rage about racism, his sadness about his father’s death, and his deep fear of drowning. Nikhaar Kashnani portrays South Asian American Mona. Weighed down by caring for her young brother, she loses herself in art and dreads her recurring nightmare about a flood. Josh Hurley renders Cody’s cruel, racist bullying as well as his fear of the dark, a result of being abused by his father. Christopher Salazar enthusiastically delivers interstitial news bulletins. When flooding from Harvey makes them face their worst fears, the resilient threesome’s separate stories come together and they support each other’s bravery.
Powerful listening.Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
Duration: 8 hrs
DD ISBN: 9780063389557
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 10, 2026
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